


Two worlds collide

by Adura



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling, Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, Drama, Hogwarts Seventh Year, M/M, Romance, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-07-05
Updated: 2010-07-09
Packaged: 2017-10-10 09:57:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/98393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adura/pseuds/Adura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nimueh is out for revenge, just like she always is. This time, she has come up with a plan that is out of her world. Literally.<br/>Merlin and Arthur fall into her carefully laid trap, and they are transported to Hogwarts! Too bad for Nimueh, they were sent to Hogwarts instead of to the a secret camp, where she wanted them to be.<br/>Harry and Draco must work out their differences and, alongside Arthur and Merlin, they must defeat Voldemort, who has gained more powers from a secret ally.<br/>This crossover ignores Harry Potter 5-7. Maybe some spoilers from Merlin, so be careful!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nimueh's Revenge

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Mild Violence  
> Disclaimer: I do not own HP or Merlin.
> 
> THIS IS THE PROLOGUE!

Nimueh gave a grim smile, slowly waving her hand over the water beneath her. The time had finally come. Though it had cost her greatly, physically and emotionally, she had finally found a permanent way to get rid of the obnoxious Prince Arthur and that detestable idiot-of-a-wizard Merlin.

Nimueh knew that once King Uther realized his son had disappeared, he would stop at nothing to get him back. Camelot would be thrown into chaos, and Nimueh would then make her move. _Perfect, _ she thought to herself, a smirk grazing her lips.

Nimueh glanced into the crystal bowl, watching the image flit across the water. They would be there soon, on another one of those pointless hunting trips. All she had to do was wait a couple more minutes, and her job would be done. Once Arthur and Merlin were gone, it was a one way ticket to ruling Camelot.

Two figures suddenly appeared in the water, and the smile on Nimueh's face widened. Arthur had a crossbow in his hand, and she watched as he slowly came up behind his prey. Too bad for him, it was not a real creature, but instead a mere shadow Nimueh had conjured to lure Arthur over.

Merlin, as always, stayed at least ten feet behind Arthur, looking around anxiously. "Coward," Nimueh spat out. Merlin suddenly looked up, as if he had heard her. Of course, that would be impossible. Nimueh scoffed at the picture, picking up the object at her side.

It was quite the unique object; it was like a miniature hourglass, except for the thin, gold chain that snaked around it. The chain seemed to glisten and move in the glow from the crystal bowl as Nimueh fingered it thoughtfully. She had gone to great lengths to get this so called Time Turner, but it was all worth it. She let the Time Turner slowly fall from her hand, watching as the gold chain slipped through her fingers, until it finally landed in the water with a soft plop. She waved her hand over the water once again with a soft hiss of words. "_Permoveo ut silva_." The Time Turner slowly faded into the water.

**A/N: **PLEASE, review review review and you will make my day! The chapters will be much longer than this, just a heads up. This is just the prologue.


	2. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moan from the bed startled him, and he gave a gasp when he saw Arthur writhing in the sheets. Of course, being the boy he was, Merlin's thoughts automatically went down into the gutter. Could it be that Arthur was in bed wanking? But that thought was automatically ruled out when Merlin realized that Arthur's face was scrunched up in pain. He ran to the bed.

The sun slowly made its way through the clouds of the night, shining across the cobblestone in the courtyard of Camelot. It shined through all the windows, awakening those ready to start their day. In a room off the court physician's chambers, one boy by the name of Merlin tossed and turned in his bed. "No...No..." He moaned, reaching out for something in front of him.

_He had no idea where he was- it was a castle, but it was most certainly not Camelot. Maybe they were in Mercia? No, no it couldn't be. The land looked so foreign...Noises suddenly popped up behind Merlin; people were yelling nonsense. "Stupefy!" He heard someone cry out. He turned around just in time to see a red light hit someone smack dab in the chest, and watched that person fall to the ground. Merlin could only stare out in horror. What was this madness? _

_Lights flashed this way and that; there was a swarm of people running around, holding what seemed to be sticks. And that was when Arthur appeared in his dream, wielding his trusty sword. What was going on? A cloaked figure suddenly appeared in front of him, pointing his stick at him. "Avada Kadavra." A green light shot his way- Merlin didn't know what it was, but he knew it wasn't something good. He could only stand, petrified. He heard Arthur give a yell running towards him. No...Arthur was going to try to save him...he couldn't...he had to rule Camelot..."Don't Arthur! No! Go!" He braced himself to get hit, but then Arthur launched himself at the light. "NO!" Merlin heard himself scream. He watched Arthur fall to the ground, his body limp; someone was yelling his name-_

"Merlin!" The voice was accompanied by the sudden splash of ice cold water. Merlin shot up with a start, his eyes wild. "Merlin! Whats wrong? Are you okay?"

Merlin focused his eyes on the person in front of him, willing his heart to stop beating so hard. "Oh, yeah...yeah. I'm fine Gaius. Just a bad dream." He muttered, pulling himself out of bed. He shook his now wet head with a scowl. "Was that really necessary, Gauis? Couldn't you have just, I don't know...slapped me instead? Saved me the mess?"

Gaius chuckled. "You better hurry up and get ready, Merlin. You're going to be late for your hunting trip," he said, walking out of the room.

Making sure he was out of the room, Merlin waved a hand over himself with a whisper. "_Ofádrýgan_."

"I heard that! No magic, Merlin!"

Merlin smiled as he got up, looking at himself to make sure he looked presentable. He didn't know why he did it; his clothes were just going to get dirty anyways. He just felt like he had to prove himself to Arthur. Satisfied, he strode out of his room and past where Gaius was sitting to eat his morning porridge.

"Aren't you going to have breakfast, Merlin?" Gaius asked, his spoon paused in the air.

"No, no I'm good, Gauis. Don't want to be late!" He put on a cheery smile, waving goodbye. Once he was out in the hall, he dropped the smile, and a frown graced his lips. The dream worried him...it had seemed to real...but honestly, did he really expect people with sticks shooting lights at other people with sticks to be real?

_It was just a crazy dream_, Merlin reassured himself. Feeling a bit better, he set off for Arthur's chambers at a brisk pace.

That morning, Prince Arthur Pendragon had also been having crazy dreams.

_He was in unknown lands. It felt like he was supposed to know where he was, but he couldn't put his finger on it quite yet. There were crowds of people surrounding him. It was pitch black outside, except for the flashes of light shooting across the field. Arthur could only see faint images of the people around him, like they were ghosts. _

_A sudden cry tore him from his observations, and his head whipped to the left. There was a girl on the ground, clutching at her bleeding and useless arm. A cloaked man stood above her, pointing a...stick at her. Arthur's legs seemed to act of his own accord. He knew this girl...he couldn't let her die...He saw the cloaked man's lips move- before he could finish, Arthur stabbed him in the back, letting the blade drive all the way through. He tore the blade back out as the man fell the ground with a gasp, clutching the hole in his stomach. Another sight distracted him from helping the girl before him. Merlin...The _idiot_ was just standing there! _

_Arthur slowly made his way towards him. That was when he saw another cloaked man appear in front of Merlin, his stick pointed straight at his chest. "No!" He yelled. Arthur knew he didn't have time to kill this man before he killed Merlin. He had to save Merlin though. Without even thinking, he ran towards Merlin, towards the light shooting towards him. Merlin was screaming at him, but he ignored it. He jumped as far as he could, stretching his fingers out. The light hit him in the chest- the last thing he heard was Merlin's screaming his name. _

At the time that Arthur was having his dream, Merlin was _still _in the halls, having decided to just take his time. He whistled lightly, making his way over to the corridor where both Arthur and Morgana's chambers resided. He didn't notice Gwen exit Morgana's room, holding a tray cleaned of food. He kept on whistling, stepping in front of Arthur's door.

"I didn't know you where a whistler, Merlin." Gwen commented, trying to keep the smile off her face.

Merlin cut off abruptly, a blush covering his cheeks. "No, no. You must've been mistaken, Gwen. That most definitely was not me. It...It was-"

"I didn't say it was a bad thing. You're actually not too bad."

Merlin coughed slightly. He never did know why he was so awkward around Gwen, or anyone for that matter. His words always came out garbled and...unplanned. "Well, uh, I've got to tend to Arthur...so..." He gave a goofy smile, opening the door.

Gwen finally let the smile grow on her face, waving at him fondly. "I'll see you later then, Merlin."

"Yep, I mean, yes you will Gwen," he replied as he closed the door. Merlin turned towards Arthur, prepared to be given a ranting for being late. But, he soon realized that Arthur had yet to awake. At first, he was filled with joyful glee- Arthur forgot to wake up! And oh, how funny he looked sleeping. This was definitely a moment to capture!

A moan from the bed startled him, and he gave a gasp when he saw Arthur writhing in the sheets. Of course, being the boy he was, Merlin's thoughts automatically went down into the gutter. Could it be that Arthur was in bed _wanking_? But that thought was automatically ruled out when Merlin realized that Arthur's face was scrunched up in pain. He ran to the bed.

"Arthur?" He asked, trying to shake him awake. "Arthur! Wake up!" He said, now panicking.

"No, Merlin...watch out..."

Merlin almost fell down in shock. "Arthur?" it couldn't be- was Arthur dreaming about the sa-

Arthur suddenly shot straight up in bed, his chest heaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Like or no? Comment Please!**


	3. The Time Turner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sudden explosion behind him stopped him mid-rant. Arthur slowly turned around, crossbow aimed. The two trees he had previously been looking through had been blasted apart. There was a smoking hole in the middle. Arthur lowered his crossbow, inching forward.

Arthur shot up straight in his bed, not noticing the body of his manservant that had just fallen to the ground in shock. He took in deep, shuddering breaths trying to clear his mind. _Just a dream, just a dream..._ He repeated to himself. God, it had seemed so...real. Arthur shook these thoughts out of his head. This was no time to be weak. He sighed, swinging his legs off the side of the bed.

"Merlin, where are you, you idiotic manser-" He found his answer soon enough, when he stepped on something soft that was definitely _not_ the ground. Arthur huffed, gingerly taking his foot off Merlin's face. "Honestly, Merlin. What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" He shouted. "Get up and help me dress."

Merlin pulled himself up with a groan, rubbing at the red imprint upon his cheek. Oh, how he hated to dress Arthur. It was absolute torture. It wasn't just because of the fact that Arthur whined about the smallest things. It wasn't because of the fact that Arthur couldn't even put his own clothes on- no, it was the fact that Arthur's body just happened to be too irresistible.

His skin was tan and smooth and glittered every time the sun glanced upon it. And, oh, those muscles. Why in the world did the prince have to have such a bloody nice six pack? Why couldn't Arthur be some lame, fat prince or something?

When Arthur turned to face him, stretching out those toned biceps, Merlin had trouble finding enough air to breathe.

"Merlin! I'm going to be as old as Gaius by the time you get over here!" Arthur said with a scowl.

"Sorry, Arthur," Merlin mumbled, trying to keep a blush from creeping onto his face. He stepped around Arthur and grabbed a tunic from his overflowing wardrobe as Arthur pulled his pants on; at least he could do _something _by himself. Once Arthur stood up, Merlin helped his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, and then started to button the shirt up.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Merlin fumbled with the buttons on Arthur's shirt. His breathing was loud and erratic, and he felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. He groaned when another button slip out of his fingers. His forehead creased in frustration.

Apparently, Arthur was feeling the same way, for he swatted Merlin's hands from his chest in order to do the buttons himself.

"Honestly, Merlin, you would think that this would be your first time dressing me," he muttered as he finished with the last button.

"S-s-sorry, Arthur," He mumbled once again, following Arthur over as he sat down to eat.

Arthur paused halfway to his seat, an incredulous upon his face. "Merlin, did you forget to bring my breakfast?" His tone was low and almost a growl. Merlin knew it was supposed to be intimidating, but it was more just so bloody _sexy_. He could barely keep himself from moaning at the sound.

Clearing his throat, he stood up. "Sorry, Arthur!" He shouted as he stood up straighter, to make himself seem like a better servant. And to distract him from his oh-so-tempting thoughts. Of course, the only thing it did was make Arthur scowl even more.

"What are you trying to do now, Merlin? Give me a heart attack? Go get me my breakfast!" The last part was accompanied by a fist banging on the table.

Merlin rolled his eyes at the childish gesture as he walked out of Arthur's chambers, "As you wish, _Sire_."

Merlin once again made his ways into the hall, an odd expression on his face. So many thoughts filled his head. He was thinking about _his _dream, then thinking about Arthur's dream, and then just thinking about Arthur….

_No. No thinking of Arthur, _Merlin said to himself firmly. Still, he knew it was hopeless. He had an undeniable crush on Arthur. Luckily, no one but himself knew, but he was pretty sure that some of his friends- meaning Morgana and Gwen- had a sneaking suspicion that he was interested in blokes.

Merlin himself had known since he was little that he was gay. He was comfortable with the fact; he just wasn't comfortable with having the whole world, especially Arthur, know. His first crush had been on Will, his best friend back in Ealdor. He had gotten over it fairly quickly. It didn't take long for him to realize that Will was just like a brother to him, and nothing more.

Merlin felt his chest tighten at the thought of Will; Will, who had been killed saving Arthur's life. He swallowed back his tears, knowing that Will was in a better place. Instead, he though more about his _social_ life.

Though he was embarrassed to admit it, he had never been in a relationship with a guy, or even _kiss _one. He had never even kissed _anyone _for that matter_. _He was the perfect definition of a virgin. It was something that Morgana and Gwen loved to tease him about.

Of course, there were guys here and there that he was interested in, but none of his _infatuations _could compare with what he had with Arthur. Though he hated to admit it, he knew he was absolutely smitten with him. It was hard for him to live with the fact, knowing that Arthur would never return his feelings. Merlin was pretty sure that Arthur was not into blokes, by the fact that Arthur was like Camelot's-dare he say it?- man whore.

Arthur seemed to bed a new girl every week and Merlin had walked in on Arthur in bed, going right at it, more times than he could count.

It hurt to realize the fact Arthur never looked at him the way he wanted to, but Merlin was good at keeping his secrets and emotions to himself. Already, he struggled with keeping the fact that he was a warlock a secret. Magic was banned in Camelot, with penalty of death. More specifically, a nice public beheading. Merlin liked having his head, so he made sure to never let anything slip out. The only person who knew about his magic was Gaius, and he trusted him with his life.

Soon after these thoughts went through his head, Merlin arrived at the castle kitchens. He stepped in, and stood at the entrance awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Ah! Merlin! There you are. Here for Prince Arthur's breakfast?"

Merlin followed the voice, until his sight fell on one of the castle cooks, Blythe. He gave a grateful smile as she handed him a tray laden with a steaming bowl of oats, bread, and cheese.

"Thank you, Blythe." He said, hurrying back to Arthur's chambers.

Merlin had just arrived in front of Arthur's doors, when Morgana suddenly burst out of her chambers. He almost dropped the tray in surprise, but quickly regained his composure. She had a panicked look in her eyes, and worry creased her forehead until she saw Merlin. She ran over, sounding out of breath.

"Oh! Thank goodness, Merlin!" She said, relief coating her words. "I was worried you and Arthur had already left…" She trailed off.

"Morgana…." Merlin asked gently, "what's wrong?"

Morgana looked at him with wide eyes, tears threatening to brim over. "Oh, I just- I had this _awful _dream last night. Do you think it could have been another-_vision_?"

Morgana hesitated before saying the last word, afraid that someone might overhear. Only Gaius, Merlin, and she knew about these visions. If Uther ever found out that she was a Seer, he would have her head off, even if she was his ward. That was just how much he despised magic.

Merlin was feeling worried all over again. Morgana had a dream too? "What was it about?" he asked.

"It-it- oh it was so confusing!" She exclaimed, willing her tears not to come, "it was pitch black, but there were all these flashing lights," Merlin paled at her words, though she didn't seem to notice, "and-and- I saw…saw Arthur…die…" Her last words came out as a whisper.

"I don't know what it was about, but just promise me one thing, Merlin," She continued, eying him with a steely look. Merlin could only nod his head, not being able to speak, "Promise me, that you and Arthur will be careful today on your hunting trip." Morgana griped his free hand tightly, "Actually, why not just cancel the trip- you'll be so much safer that wa-"

"You know Arthur won't allow that." Merlin cut in, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, yes, I know." Morgana dropped his hand, a forlorn look upon her face. "Just, be careful out there Merlin. Something feels…off."

"I promise we'll be okay, Morgana," he replied honestly.

Merlin watched her walk away, a frown back upon his face. This was no mere coincidence; Merlin knew that something bad was going to happen. He would try talking to Arthur, to persuade him to cancel the trip, but since when had Arthur listened to what he had to say?

Never.

Merlin stepped back into Arthur's room, a smile put on his face. "Here's your breakfast, Arthur," he said, placing the tray on the table.

"Back to calling me Arthur, are you?" was the grumpy reply, "Anyways, what took you so long?" he asked.

Merlin winced. "Well, um, I ran into Morgana outside your chambers." He said.

"Oh?" was the only reply he got.

Merlin was not quite sure if he should continue or not, but he did. "She said she had a, uh, dream." He hesitated. Arthur raised his eyebrows. "She said she saw you die." Merlin finished hurriedly.

The reaction Arthur had was not one Merlin expected. Arthur dropped his spoon back into the bowl, his face going white.

"She did?" Arthur's voice was low and quiet.

"She asked me to, well, ask you to cancel the hunting tri-"

"No," Arthur said, his voice cold. "We're not canceling the bloody trip. As a matter of fact, we're going now."

Merlin could only watch as Arthur got up and walked out the door, his breakfast barely touched.

"Are you coming or not, Merlin?"

Arthur, for the first time in his life, feared for his life. The dream he had was so real- feeling himself die was the weirdest experience he had ever had. He had spent the morning controlling his emotions; just as he was getting a hold of himself, Merlin just _had_ to come and say that Morgana watched him die in her own dream.

_Just a coincidence, _he told himself. He was grateful for the hunting trip, as it would distract him from all his thoughts.

Arthur gave a sigh of relief when he saw Merlin walking towards him with a bundle of weapons and supplies on his back.

"Took you long enough," he snapped.

Merlin smiled. "You're insults are getting rusty this morning, Arthur." He said.

Arthur opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He was still in a daze from Merlin's smile. Goodness, it was gorgeous. So wide and bright, and those dimples just made him want to-

_This is Merlin you're talking about! _A voice in his head told him. _Remember? You're idiotic, pathetic excuse of a manservant. I repeat, a MAN. _

"Whatever, Merlin. I'm in a hurry." He muttered, walking towards the forest, looking anywhere but at Merlin. He tried to think of one of the gorgeous ladies he had just bedded days ago, and her curvy body and delicious breasts, and the way she moaned when he was in her- it didn't help one bit. The only thing he could think of was that stupid smile.

"Arth-"

"What!" He snapped.

"I-y- You stopped and I thought something was wrong…." Merlin replied meekly. "You know- never mind."

"Good," Arthur said, setting off at a brisk pace. "Now hurry up Merlin, we haven't got all day."

Two hours later, Arthur and Merlin were bickering in the dense forest outside of Camelot.

"-nestly, Merlin. I'm fine. Can you be quiet? You're going to scare off all the animals."

"I'm not even the one talki-!"

"Then what do you call what you're doing right now?"

"Arguing with yo-"

"Shhh!"

Arthur's sudden burst shut Merlin up right away. Arthur held a hand up to him, telling him to stay. In his other hand, he gripped his crossbow, having spotted his prey. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was definitely an animal. It flitted in and out of the shadows, quickly making distance between it and Arthur.

"Come on, Merlin! Follow me."

Arthur slowly crept forward, crossbow trained on his shoulder. Merlin stayed a little further behind, wary of messing things up.

_Coward, _came a sudden voice.

His head shot up, startled. What was that? He turned to Arthur to see if he had heard the voice, but he was concentrating on a black shape right between the trees.

_Just a little bit closer, _Arthur thought. He aimed and prepared to shoot-

"Who's there?" Came Merlin's fearful voice.

The black shape suddenly disappeared, and Arthur slammed his crossbow against the ground in frustration. He turned towards Merlin.

"What in the bloody hell is your problem, Merlin? I almost had the stupid thin-"

A sudden explosion behind him stopped him mid-rant. Arthur slowly turned around, crossbow aimed. The two trees he had previously been looking through had been blasted apart. There was a smoking hole in the middle. Arthur lowered his crossbow, inching forward. He felt a hand grab his arm, trying to keep him back.

"Arthur, stay back. You don't know what it is."

"Oh, get off me, Merlin." Arthur said crossly, not noticing the hurt on his manservant's face.

He was a little more careful, however, and waited until the smoke cleared to move forward. There was a curious looking object in the hole. It looked like a mini-hourglass, and had a gold chain snaked around it. He reached out for it, ignoring Merlin's protests. He grasped it in his hand, standing back up.

"See, Merlin? It's perfectly fine."

It was apparent Arthur had spoken too soon when the chain suddenly wrapped around his neck.

"Arthur!" Merlin shouted out, stepping forward. The chain suddenly widened and stuck itself to Merlin's neck before pushing the two chest to chest.

Merlin could hardly breathe; he was so close to Arthur-

Suddenly, the world started to spin around them, making Merlin's head go dizzy. Oh, It was going too fast-

It ended as quickly as it had started, and Merlin and Arthur fell to the ground with a thud, breathless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! (Cliffhanger :D)


	4. Bugger off, already.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Stop right there," he said, his voice shaky but determined.  
> Arthur scoffed. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" He asked.  
> The second person, the black-haired one, spoke up. "Well, who are you?" He asked.  
> "Who are you?" Arthur retaliated.  
> The black-haired gave him a look of surprise. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Nimueh gave a satisfied smirk as she watched the two boys disappear. Oh, it was too easy. Now that Merlin and Arthur had been removed, it was time to return to Camelot. Of course, she wouldn't be able to keep track of the two as they were out of her reach. She could always keep in touch with her lovely ally, though.

Waving her hand over the crystal bowl one more time, she walked out of the room slowly, lifting the hood of her cloak up. It was time to meet Uther.

~

Harry Potter had not been having a very good day. Of course, it was a Monday, which _could _be an excuse. Mondays were the days he despised the most; it was when he had to go back to classes, pay attention, and more importantly, the days where he was back to seeing Malfoy.

Just that morning, he had a strange dream. He dreamed that he had met King Arthur and the most renowned wizard of all time, Merlin himself! He laughed to himself- it was one of the craziest dreams he had ever had. Of course, what was even odder about the dream was the fact that _Malfoy_ was right by his side. Harry's face turned into a scowl at the thought. Of course _Malfoy _always had to ruin everything.

But that wasn't the worst thing. The worst thing in his dream was something that he refused to believe, and refused to even think about. It was the fact that Malfoy had such a trusting look on his face and a look of utter devotion as he stared into Harry's eyes. And the fact that he had leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on his lips-

_Oh, bloody hell! _Harry thought to himself. Though he flat-out refused to admit it, he couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. Though it disgusted him, it also turned him on slightly. But only slightly. He caught himself touching his lips throughout class, as if trying to feel his lips on his-

_It's Malfoy! The prat that's made your life a living hell! And he's a bloke to top it off! You shouldn't be thinking these things! _His conscience screamed at him. Those thoughts calmed him down a bit. Harry knew he wasn't gay- he couldn't be. He had never looked at any guys that way. At least, not until that morning. He ground his teeth in frustration, willing all those thoughts to go away….

Anyways, back to Harry's bad day.

When he had woken up from his crazy disturbing-but-yet-intriguing-dream, he had laid in bed for a few seconds, pondering. Right after, Harry had checked the time.

"_Tempus," _he had whispered. His wand glowed brightly, scattering an image across the bed. It was…7:50.

Fuck.

Harry had zoomed out of bed, scrambling into his robes. He brushed his teeth in a flash, skipping over a shower. He could live without one for the day. He didn't have any time for breakfast, which had his stomach growling in protest.

If it had been any other class, he wouldn't have cared as much. He had only missed five minutes of the lessons so far. But the class he had first period was _Potions. _Oh, Snape was going to _love _the fact that Harry Potter was five minutes and fifteen seconds late to class (Not that he was counting or anything).Why hadn't Ron, Seamus, or even Neville woken him? They all had the class together! He didn't have time to think through that thought, before he arrived at the doors to the Potions class room.

Taking a deep breath, he swung open the doors and strode into the classroom, trying to feel more confident than he really was.

Just as Harry had expected, Snape stopped mid-lecture with a snirk (a sneer and a smirk) on his face. It was only a look Snape could pull off. Or Malfoy. _No thinking of Malfoy! _

Snape dropped his hands from where they had been waving in the air, demonstrating the correct way to stir a potion. His snirk still upon his face, he walked towards Harry at a leisurely pace, hands tucked behind his back.

"Well, well, well." He drawled, stopping only a foot away from him, "Look what we have here."

Harry gulped. The look upon Snape's face made him nauseous. It was a good thing he hadn't had breakfast that morning. He looked towards where he knew Ron and Hermione where sitting. They both had identical looks of horror on their face. Ron was mouthing words at him frantically, but Harry couldn't tell what he was saying.

"Potter, you are five minutes late." Snape continued with a hiss, "Overslept didn't you?" Snape sniffed daintily at him, "and apparently, you didn't even take the time for a shower." He said with a sneer.

Harry heard laughter bubbling from a certain Slytherin area. He glanced over, watching Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy giggle with glee upon their faces. He frowned, when he noticed that Malfoy seemed to be missing. It wasn't his problem though. He turned back to face Snape, bracing himself for punishment.

"Fifty-five points from Gryffindor." Snape said. There was a murmur of outrage from all the Gryffindor in the class. "Twenty more, since Gryffindors can seem to keep their mouths shut."

Harry glared at Snape's back as he took his seat next to Ron.

"Harry! Where were you, mate? The curtains around your bed wouldn't open! We thought you just wanted some privacy…" Ron said, trailing off, a faint blush on his face, "You were, er, moaning, mate." He flushed an even deeper red.

"Whatever, its fine, Ron." Harry muttered, trying to hide his own blush. He tried to concentrate on the lesson, but to no avail. It would be just his luck to be late to _Potions _of all classes. And to lose his house _seventy-five points _in one sitting_. _It was an outrageous amount of points to lose, especially since the school year had barely started.

"….be brewing the Befuddlement Draught. Now this is a simple potion, but requires…"

Harry gave a sigh of resignation. It was going to be a _long _day.

~

On the other side of Hogwarts, running through the halls with his hair disarray, was a certain blonde Slytherin. Oh, if Harry had thought he had a bad morning, Draco Malfoy had the _worst _morning of his life.

Like Harry, he had also had quite the disturbing dream. It had started off nicely- he was talking to King Arthur and Merlin! The greatest wizard of all! Even thought it was just a dream, Malfoy couldn't help but feel smug. Who else would meet King Arthur and bloody _Merlin _in their dreams?

But then things had taken a turn for the worst.

Out of nowhere, _Potter _just had to show up right beside him.

_What the hell? _Malfoy had been thinking. _What the fuck are you doing in my dream, Potter? Get out! _

But Potter didn't move anywhere. Instead, Potter had been looking right at him, a smile in his eyes. And then Malfoy felt himself being propelled forward, leaning in to Potter's face, and kissing him. And oh it had been a brilliant kiss. Who knew Potter was so-

Draco Malfoy let out a scream that could rival the portrait of Sirius's mum.

This had to be the worst nightmare he had ever had. Screw Arthur and Merlin, screw Potter, and screw….whatever. What kind of twisted dream had that been? Who in their right mind would kiss _Potter? _The Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Know-It-All-Git?

Shaking his head, Malfoy had gotten out of bed and directly to the showers. He took his time, leisurely rubbing shampoo and conditioner through his hair, breathing in the sweet vanilla scent. Twenty minutes later, he had stepped out of the shower and dried off, preparing to style his hair. It was then he realized that he brush seemed to have gone missing.

Malfoy frowned. There was only one person who would dare to take his brush.

"Hey Blaise! Zabini! Where in the bloody hell are you-" It was also then that Malfoy realized the dorms were completely deserted. He paled suddenly, hair forgotten. His skin, already so pale, turned white. _Oh, nonononono, _he thought, reaching for his wand. He had cast _Tempus _to check the time, and had nearly fainted. Not something he would admit.

It was _8:20! _Potions had started over half an hour ago! Oh, he was so in for it. Screw the fact that he was Snape's favorite; (and the fact he was his godson) Snape was going to rip him limb from limb.

He grabbed all his books in a blind rush, and sped out of the common room as gracefully as he could. His hair, still forgotten, flew around his face in disarray. A fourth year darted around the corner, hall pass in hand.

He stared at Malfoy with large eyes, and those eyes drifted from his hair to his face…and back again.

"What are you looking at?" Malfoy snapped, trying to save his dignity. The fourth year had scampered away in fright, though he still looked on the brink of a smirk.

After making sure no one else was in the hall, Malfoy set off once again on a run to the Potions room. Once there, he ran his hands through his hair in an attempt to make it look neat. He gave up after a few seconds with a scowl, before opening the doors. Time to show everyone what Malfoys were about.

~

All heads swiveled towards the door to the Potions room, as they opened for the second time.

In strode a haughty looking Draco Malfoy, his hair perfectly in place, a snirk upon his face. "Sorry I'm late, Professor," he said, with an air of disinterest. "I wasn't feeling very well this morning."

Harry looked towards Snape to see what he would say, though he had a sinking feeling what it was, considering the identical snirk he had upon his face.

"Mr. Malfoy." Snape said, "Please sit in your seat. Try not to be late again." At this, he walked back to the front of the classroom.

There were mutters of outrage around the class at the fact that, once again, Malfoy had evaded the wraith of Snape.

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, his face twisted in anger. "This is so unfair!" He hissed as he furiously chopped up scurvy leaves for the potion, "I was only five minutes late, and I got docked one hundred and twenty points! Malfoys half an hour late and-"

He stopped when he realized that Malfoy was standing right next to his desk, and a little too close for his comfort. Malfoy bent down, sneering at him.

"Might want to watch what you say, _Potter,"_ He spat out the last word with venom, "don't want to lose any more points for your house, do you? I saw your cup on my way here. Those rubies are dwindling to nothing. Guess we'll know who will be winning the House Cup this year won't we."

He stood back up, turning perfectly on spot, walking over to his table.

"Oi! Bloody git! I'm gonna get that prat and beat his face in!" Ron muttered, his face red as he made to stand up. He only stopped when Harry gripped his arm, his face blank.

"Don't, Ron," he whispered, "Don't do anything that will give Snape another reason to dock us points."

Ron sat back down, but looked at him in worry. He exchanged a glance with Hermione, and the latter spoke in a timid voice.

"Are you ok, Harry? You look a little pale."

Harry took in a deep breath. He felt _fine. _He was just in a slight daze…Fuck, Malfoy had smelled amazing. A warm, vanilla scent that just wrapped you up-

"Harry? Oi! Harry!"

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts, looking into Ron's worried eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Justa bit tired." He replied, giving his friends a weak smile. It seemed to work, for Ron and Hermione started back to the potion. He passed them the leaves, and watched with only faint interest as the potion bubbled and turned a sweet light blue. Instead, he sneaked a glance over at where Malfoy sat next to Pansy.

_I just want to see what other shit he's up to_, he thought. His gaze traveled to those piercing grey eyes that were looking determinedly at the potion in front of them. Then his gaze traveled to those plump, pink lips, just _begging _to be snogged-

Malfoy suddenly looked right at him, and right into his eyes. Those silver eyes narrowed at him, almost accusingly.

_Oh, bloody hell. _Harry gulped, tearing his gaze away. He gave yet another sigh of relief when he realized class was over. He looked over at his friends who were bottling up the days potion, and a sense of guilt washed over him. He hadn't helped _at all. _

Hermione looked over at him, as if sensing his discomfort. _Go, _she mouthed, waving at him.

Harry shot her a grateful smile, walking briskly out of the room. He knew that he would probably get a mouthful later, but he was fine for the moment. Though he did not realize it at the moment, one certain Slytherin had followed him out of the Potions room, and down the hall that led him outside.

Harry took in a breath of fresh air as he arrived outside. He strode down the path to Hagrid's hut, feeling completely relaxed. He knew he still had a few minutes before his next class, and he needed a place to think quietly.

He stopped halfway down the path, and fell down back on the grass. He put his hands behind his head, content to just lay there and look up at the clouds.

A few feet behind Harry, Malfoy stood with an incredulous look upon his face. Did Potter really just come out here to take a nap? _Typical, _Malfoy snorted. He was probably going to end up missing his next class. Not that he cared.

Before he knew what was happening, Malfoy found his legs moving forward towards Harry, most definitely _without _his consent. The next thing he knew, he was standing right next to Potter's face. There was an awkward silence between them, before Harry suddenly jumped up, running his hands through his hair.

_Fuck, _Harry thought. Why did Malfoy always have to ruin everything? He began to run his hands through his hair again, when a firm grip suddenly caught his wrist. He looked up in surprise, looking into silver eyes that looked amused. What surprised Harry the most was that there was no malice in this look, although some annoyance.

"Will you stop doing that, Potter?" Malfoy snapped, "Your hair is already enough of a mess."

Harry flushed, though he didn't make any comment. He lowered his hand, very aware of the fact that Malfoy had yet to remove his hand around from his wrist. He coughed, as if hoping that would help Malfoy snap out of whatever daze he was in.

It worked. Malfoy, busy staring at those vivid green eyes, suddenly dropped Harry's arm as if it was poisoned. He crossed his arms, huffing in annoyance. And in discomfort. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm even bothering." He said, "But are you intent on failing all your classes? You've been late to Potions, and you're going to be late to Divinat-"He stopped. He was _not _supposed to know that. The only reason he _did _ know what because, well, he had followed him once but-

Harry glanced at him suspiciously from under his bangs. "How did you know I have Divination next, Malfoy?" He asked, fists clenching.

Said boy gulped, and then inspiration struck. "I saw the Weasel and that stupid Mudblood on their way there a few days ago, talking about how you had been acting oddly," he replied, daring Harry to…to do what he didn't know.

Harry's knuckles were now going white from how hard he was clenching his fists.

"Don't. Call. Them. That." He said, his voice quiet but menacing.

"What? Weasly is a Weasel. Bloody bloody traitor. And that idiotic Granger who thinks she knows everything is a fucking mudblood! It's the truth. They're both unworthy of-"

Unworthy of what he never did get to explain, before Harry punched him in the face. It wasn't hard enough to break anything, but it was hard enough to throw him onto the ground, leaving him dazed.

Before he could haul himself back to his feet, Harry was in his face, eyes ablaze. _Damn, Harry is definitely sexy when he's mad. _Draco thought. _Wait- did I just call him Harry? He's Potter! Insufferable git. _

"How dare you, Malfoy." Harry spat out, his words coming out slow and full of anger. "What gives you the right to pick on my friends like that? What have they ever done to you? Huh?"

Harry got back up, shouting at Malfoy now. "You always act like you're above everyone else, when you're not! You're fathers a bloody Death Eater, and you probably are a bloody Death Eater and-and your mom is Voldemort's slut-" Harry cut off, his face a mask of guilt when he saw Malfoy get up, looking…hurt.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Malfoy." He attempted to apologize, though he didn't know why. Maybe it was because of the fact Malfoy looked stricken, and hurt. And because of the fact that for once in his life, Malfoy looked _human. _

"Don't you dare talk about my mother that way, Potter," his voice calm and collected. Harry could tell it was just a mask by the emotions swimming in his eyes. "You don't know anything about me. Or about my family. So don't talk about me like you do know me." He hissed.

He suddenly closed the distance between them, standing in front of Harry so they were chest to chest. For one crazy second, Harry thought he was going to kiss him, until he received a blow into the stomach that had him winded. Then another blow struck into his head, and he could feel his glasses break as he sprawled onto the ground.

He scrambled back onto his feet, anger running through him again. But before he could retaliate, a sudden thud in the forest behind them grabbed his attention. Harry could tell Malfoy had heard it too by the uncertain look on his face.

Harry gingerly picked up his glasses, waving his wand at them. "_Episkey," _he muttered. He watched as his glasses fixed himself. Satisfied, he put them back on, turning back to face Malfoy, who had an odd expression his face.

"I didn't know you could use that spell to fix...inanimate objects," was all he said.

"Yeah." Harry replied, still feeling angry. He started towards Malfoy, but then the latter suddenly paled. He held up his hand at Harry, telling him to be quiet.

Harry was puzzled at first, until he heard voices coming out from the forest. They were voices that he did not know, and they had quite an odd accent. He held out his wand in front of him cautiously, watching Malfoy do the same thing beside him. He crept forward, seeing silhouettes slowly appear.

And then, the bodies of two men appeared. They looked like they were in their twenties or thirties maybe, and were wearing old-fashioned clothing. It was like the kind of clothing that Harry saw in old muggle movies about…old times.

When the two men saw him and Draco, they stopped abruptly.

"Stop right there."

After what had felt like hours, Merlin and Arthur came to a stop, both falling to the ground with a loud thud.

Merlin groaned, rubbing his back where he had fallen. He reached for the chain around his neck, before realizing that it had disappeared. He looked over towards where Arthur lay.

"Arthur," he whispered, "Arthur! Are you alright?"

Arthur gave an even louder groan, straining to get up. "What the bloody hell was that?" He asked.

Merlin shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, Arthur. But I think it was….magic."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Well, then we must get back to Camelot and tell my father."

Merlin swallowed nervously, "The thing is Arthur, I don't think we're in Camelot anymore. Or anyplace _near _Camelot. "

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. Where else could we be? We're still in the fore-" Arthur stopped speaking as he looked around himself. He shivered in spite of himself. This was definitely not the forest they had been in. Of course, the stubborn part of his brain rejected those thoughts, and replaced them with others. All they had to do was get out and find help, and they should be fine.

"Come on, Merlin." He said, walking forwards, "Let's get out of here."

Though he was still feeling suspicious of the area, Merlin nodded and followed Arthur.

After a few minutes, they finally arrived at the entrance to the forest. _Thank goodness, _Merlin thought, running past Arthur. He heard Arthur running up behind him, muttering about not taking off so quickly, when there could be danger lurking around any corner.

They finally came out into the open, and they both took identical breathes of relief. They examined the area around them, not quite sure where they were. They were in front of a castle, one very old and grand. It was one neither of the two had ever seen before. It rose out of the hills, sparkling in the sunlight.

Of course, they only had been able to admire it for a few seconds when Arthur realized that there were two people standing in front of them. Both whom were holding sticks. He stepped forward, preparing to ask for assistance, when the blonde pointed his stick directly at him.

"Stop right there," he said, his voice shaky but determined.

Arthur scoffed. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" He asked.

The second person, the black-haired one, spoke up. "Well, who are you?" He asked.

"Who are _you?" _Arthur retaliated.

The black-haired gave him a look of surprise. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh! Another cliffhanger. Hehe I can't wait to write out the next scene (:


	5. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dumbledore had patiently waited for Harry, as if he knew what was going through his head. Once he had Harry's attention, he looked over at Arthur and Merlin, a twinkle in his eyes."Well," he said brightly, "It seems our guests have arrived sooner than I expected."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the moment, I am not able to type up any new chapters for my other stories. I'm currently traveling, and just uploading some chapters off my fanfiction.net page. I'll be back home in about a week in a half! SO stay tuned!

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" The blonde man asked.

Harry stared at him. No, he did not know who he was talking to. "Well, who are you?" He asked, curious.

"Who are _you?"_The man retaliated.

Harry could barely keep his surprise in check. There was someone who didn't know who he was? _Thank god._ He thought to himself. _I have enough obsessed fans. _He looked the stranger in the eye. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Both of the men gave him blank stares. Harry could hear Malfoy snickering next to him.

The blonde one spoke up. "Well, I don't what kind of name _Potter _is. That's ridiculous," he scoffed.

Harry flushed. Malfoy gave another snicker.

"I like this guy already," he whispered into Harry's ear.

Harry jumped in surprise, not realizing that Malfoy had gotten so close to him. "Shut up, prat." He whispered back, moving away from him.

"I told you my name," Harry said. "Now tell me yours."

The blonde gave him a level look. "I am Arthur Pendragon; _Prince _Arthur. Of _Camelot." _He said, pushing his chest out to make himself look more regal.

Malfoy looked at him with an incredulous look. Was this guy under a curse or something? Did he honestly think he was Prince Arthur of Camelot? He was startled out of his thoughts when he saw Harry suddenly fall to the ground.

He reached out instinctively to catch him, before realizing what he was doing. He took his hands back hastily and gave Harry and blank look. The said person was on the ground, laughing so hard that Malfoy was sure he would choke.

"And, uh, I'm Merlin."

"Pr-Pri-Prince Ar-Arth-thu…" Harry said, barely able to talk. Unfortunately for him, he did not see the outraged glance that Arthur gave him. "Do you really think we would believe that? That _you _would be King Arthur, the great ruler of Camelot? Even if you were, you would be like five thousand years old! King Arthur is long dead."

Arthur looked at him, blind rage obvious on his face. He was also hurt, and slightly miffed that this _boy _didn't believe him. And what? Why would he be dead? He wasn't even King yet for heaven's sake!

His hand automatically went for his sword, but Merlin grabbed his wrist in a firm grip. _Don't, _he mouthed. Arthur relaxed at his touch, though he wasn't quite sure why. He cleared his throat, turning to face the so called _Harry Potter. _

"I do not know what you are talking about. For one, I am not even _king _yet. My father, Uther, rules over Camelot right now. _He _is King. Also, I am not _five thousand years old_." He said, wrinkling his nose. "That would be preposterous! Anyways, I don't have time to deal with _peasants _like you."

Merlin gave a groan, when he saw the blonde boy beside, er, Harry grit his teeth. _Here it comes…_he thought. Arthur always managed to run into trouble with every person he met. Except for the girls he bedded.

"Peasants?" Malfoy hissed, his voice going low and dangerous. Harry could barely keep a shiver from going through his body. Malfoy looked so sexy like that, dark and menacing-

"I'll have you know that I am in no way _close _to being a peasant. I am a Malfoy!" He shouted.

Arthur gave him yet another blank look.

"A Malfoy!" He repeated. Still getting no reaction, Malfoy continued on, pretending not to notice. "Our family has always been one hundred percent pure-blooded, never tainted in one bit! And we also happen to be among the top five richest Wizarding fami.."

Harry rolled his eyes. _Malfoy and his pure-blood speeches. _He thought, as Malfoy went on ranting. It was obvious that his words had no effect on these two strangers whatsoever, as they kept on giving him a blank look. Harry narrowed his gaze on the brown-haired one. Why did he seem so familiar?

He would have thought upon it more, but he was interrupted when the so called Prince Arthur came forward.

"I honestly have no idea what nonsense you are going on about. Pure-blooded? Wizarding? Are you wizards? You deal with magic? This should be reported to my father." Arthur drew out his sword. He had to deal with these _warlocks. _He was surrounded by magic! It was outrageous.

This time, he ignored Merlin's words of protest, and shook his hand off every time it came in contact with his arm. He advanced towards the two wizards, sword held high.

"Put those…sticks down." He commanded.

Harry blinked. Sticks? _Oh, _he meant his wand.

"They're called wands. should I?" He asked innocently.

"Because I said so," Arthur replied.

"Well, that isn't saying very much, is it?" Malfoy said with a sneer.

Arthur let out a snarl, all patience lost. He ran towards Malfoy, sword swinging. Before he could get within hitting distance of Malfoy, Harry shot a spell at him.

"Stupefy!" He cried out on instinct. He didn't know _why _he even bothered saving Malfoy. He knew he would gladly pay to watch him suffer. Well, at least he _did_; until that morning.

Harry was shaken out of his thoughts, when he saw the dark-haired man beside Arthur lunge forward, hand outstretched. Harry watched as his lips moved, a spell he had never heard before coming out.

"_Veneficus obex," _Merlin whispered. A silver light shot out of his hand stopping right in front of Arthur. The light expanded into a transparent shield, quivering and shining in the light. It seemed to hum slightly, as it absorbed the spell that Harry had shot at Arthur. It disappeared as Merlin slowly lowered his hand, his face pale.

Everyone seemed to have frozen mid-action, gaping at him. Merlin felt terribly uncomfortable; he never had liked attention. What was even worse was the look of betrayal on Arthur's face.

"Merlin?" Arthur whispered with a look of disbelief on his face. His sword was held limply at his side as he stared at Merlin. "Did you just use magic?"

Merlin clenched and unclenched his fists nervously. He had been preparing for this moment, but it wasn't supposed to happen the way it was. He was supposed to catch Arthur by himself; he was supposed to just tell him, and explain how not all magic was bad. He imagined that Arthur would take it all in stride, and would be happy for him. Yeah right. Obviously, his plan had not worked out.

"I'm sorry, Arthur," he finally said, dropping his head.

Arthur opened and closed his mouth, words failing him. He was left to sort through his own thoughts when Harry started to speak.

"Why would you be sorry?" He blurted out, not being able to hold in the questions any longer. "You just did wandless magic! That's incredible! No one can do that without effort!"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. _Leave it up to Potter to ruin the moment,_ he said to himself. Still, he had to admit that he was also quite intrigued. Here was this man, appearing out of nowhere, knowing how to do _wandless _magic.

"What did you say your name was, again?" Malfoy asked, stepping up to the dark-haired man.

"Merlin," he said, almost uncertainly.

Malfoy's eyes went huge. "Merlin?" He whispered to no one in particular, "but…but that's impossible! You can't be him..."

But it all did make sense. How many Merlin's were there in the world that could do wandless magic and traveled with a man named Arthur who claimed to be the Prince of Camelot? None. So were they truly from Camelot? But then how would they have gotten here-

Malfoy froze when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He swiveled around at the same time as Harry, wand out.

Then he lowered it, when he realized he was about to attack the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore," he said, his cold demeanor back up, "And to what do we owe this meeting?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "You have missed two classes, Malfoy. And you too, Harry," he said, giving them both a stern glance.

Harry flushed; he had completely forgotten about his classes. He was most likely going to lose Gryffindor all their points. He was about to apologize to Dumbledore, when Malfoy spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster. We had more _pressing_issues to deal with," he said smoothly, his gaze traveling over to Arthur and Merlin, who stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Harry opened his mouth, and then shut it. Had Malfoy just _defended _him? That was new. Maybe Malfoy wasn't as bad as he seemed.

As soon as those treacherous thoughts entered his head, Harry let out a mental scream. _Malfoy will never be a good guy! He will never be nice! He is the git that has tormented you since your first year at Hogwarts! _His conscience said.

_But what about that dream, hm? _Another voice in his head said, _He looked at you with those trusting eyes, and he kissed you on the lips and you- _Harry shoved those thoughts out of his head, and turned his head to Dumbledore. This was _not _the time to be thinking about Malfoy_. _

Dumbledore had patiently waited for Harry, as if he knew what was going through his head. Once he had Harry's attention, he looked over at Arthur and Merlin, a twinkle in his eyes."Well," he said brightly, "It seems our guests have arrived sooner than I expected."

Arthur stared at the man that had just appeared. He had a beard down to his _belly button, _pure white and scruffy. What authority did this old man think he had over him? He scoffed.

"Excuse me, sir," he said, "Can you just direct us to Camelot?"

Dumbledore let out a chuckle. "Well, I am afraid that request is harder to fulfill than it seems." He said.

Arthur opened his mouth-most likely to complain- but the old man's stern gaze stopped him.

"Follow me, lads." Dumbledore said, heading up to the castle, "You too, Harry and Draco. You two have a major part in this battle."

He left the four standing there, all looking at each other with the same confused looks. Malfoy was the first one to snap out of it.

"Well, let's go then." He said to no one in particular, spinning around to follow Dumbledore to the castle. Harry followed after him, but not before making sure that Arthur and Merlin were behind him.

Arthur and Merlin followed almost reluctantly, not knowing where they were. As they came closer and closer to the castle, their eyes grew wider and wider. The castle was beautiful and breathtaking. It was much bigger than Camelot, which came as a surprise to both of the strangers, Arthur in particular.

"I wonder who rules this place," he mused, eyeing the tall masts of the Owlery, "It is surely the most magnificent castle I have set my eyes upon. And I say that reluctantly- I always thought that Camelot was the biggest of all. Seems I am wrong," he said.

"So, you really are from Camelot then?" Harry asked hesitantly. Arthur seemed so serious about what he said, and it was easy to hear the passion behind his voice as he spoke about Camelot.

"Yes, I am." Arthur said with a quizzical look, "I am the prince, and this is my manservant Merlin. My father Uther is the ruler of Camelot."

"Yes, you've told us that already," Malfoy drawled.

Seeing Arthur about to make a retort, Merlin cut in. "So," he said as they entered the castle. "Where exactly is it that we are? This castle is quite magnificent."

"This," Harry said with a faint smile on his face, "is Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Arthur stopped. "Witchcraft and _Wizardry?_ A school for _magic? _Are you insane?" He bellowed.

Merlin jumped at the sound, as did Harry and Malfoy. Only Dumbledore remained calm, smiling serenely at the four boys before him.

"Well," he said, "We have arrived."

Harry turned around, seeing that they had stopped at Dumbledore's office. He gulped. Why did he and Malfoy have to be there? It was obvious that Dumbledore only wanted to see Arthur and Merlin. Of course, as always, Dumbledore left no room for comments. He turned to the stone gargoyles guarding his office, speaking softly.

"Well, good evening," he said cheerfully to the gargoyles.

Arthur stared at him with wide eyes. This was just more proof that this old man was mad! He was talking to statues! Arthur grabbed Merlin's wrist, ready to run. Merlin's mind barely registered what had happened, but his body was way ahead. He felt like his arm where Arthur was holding him was on fire, and he could feel a flush creeping up to his cheeks.

Dumbledore had noticed this movement, and chuckled. "Don't worry," he said. "I am far from going mad."

Malfoy snorted. _Yeah right, _he thought. _You've been off your rocker your whole life. _

Dumbledore turned back to the gargoyles. "Squeaking sugar mice!" He said brightly.

Now Merlin was also looking weary. Arthur may be right; this old man must be going mad-

But then the most incredible thing happened. The gargoyles seemed to nod their heads, as if they understood what the old man had said. They slowly began to move apart, revealing an empty, circular room.

Dumbledore walked in, quickly followed by Harry and Malfoy. Arthur and Merlin just stood there, mouths open wide. Arthur shut his quickly, an incredulous look upon his face.

"Do you _really _expect us to step in there?" He asked. Arthur did not trust any of the people in there. They could all kill him in one shot, and it wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

"Well, if you want answers, and if you want to go back to Camelot, then yes, I do expect you do come in here. I won't hurt you," Dumbledore said, as if reading Arthur's thoughts, "and neither will Harry or Draco."

Merlin had already made up his mind. "Come on, Arthur," he said gently, using his arm to tug on the hand still around it.

Arthur dropped his hand, a frown upon his face. "How should I trust you, _Merlin?" _He asked. "I watched you perform magic right in front of me!" The look of betrayal crept back onto his face. It was a look that Merlin could not stand to see.

"Please, Arthur," he said desperately, "Just trust me on this one." Merlin bit his lip, waiting for a response.

After what felt like an eternity, Arthur let out a breath. "Fine," he grumbled. "Don't make me regret this." He walked into the room hesitantly, gritting his teeth when the gargoyles slowly sealed them in.

"Well, that took you long enough," Malfoy commented, looking at his nails, "I mean, don't mind us. We'll just sit in here and-"

He came to a stop when Dumbledore gave him a stern look. Before Arthur could say enough, the room suddenly shifted, slowly moving in a circle. Arthur gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, knuckles going white. After a few seconds, another room started to appear, and the room came to a halt.

Merlin had a firm hand on his stomach, his face pale. He groaned slightly, willing the dizziness to go away. He had always been prone to wooziness, easily being able to feel sick, even from someone walking a circle around him. He gingerly stepped into the room, taking deep breaths.

"Merlin, are you okay?" Arthur asked, forehead creased in worry.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Arthur." He panted. "Just a little lightheaded."

Draco snorted. "You're dizzy from _that_?"

Merlin ignored him, falling down into the first chair that he saw. After everyone had settled down, Dumbledore appeared out of nowhere, lemon drop in hand.

"Care for a lemon drop?" He asked kindly, handing it to Merlin.

Merlin glanced at it suspiciously for a second. He decided that nothing else could make him feel any worse, and took it with a polite, "Thank you." He popped it in his mouth, wincing for a second at the sour taste. Suddenly, a warm tingling went through his body, and he gave a gasp. He stopped Arthur with a wave of his hand, when he came over to help.

Once the tingling went away, Merlin felt _much _better. "Thank you," he said to Dumbledore.

"Yes, yes, no problem, young Merlin," Dumbledore said, a twinkle still in his eye.

_Damn twinkle, _Malfoy muttered to himself. The twinkle always made people feel calm and happy, and without a care in the world.

As Malfoy brooded, Harry scratched his head, and Dumbledore whistled, Merlin and Arthur started to observe their surroundings. They found very, many interesting things.

What had intrigued Merlin the most was the paintings that lined up on one wall. They were all of very distinguished looking people, who looked at him with a critical eye. Merlin jumped when one of them yawned, putting his hand over his mouth.

"D-D-Did you see that?" Merlin said, pointing a shaking finger at the portrait. The name beneath it said _Phineas Nigellus Black. _Whoever that was. "The painting just moved!"

Arthur frowned. He had noticed it to. The portrait was now staring at him, a disgusted look on his face.

"Why is there a _Muggle _here, Dumbledore?" The portrait sneered.

Arthur jumped at the voice, though he had no idea what the portrait was talking about. He chose to ignore it. "This place stinks of sorcery," he muttered, "I don't know how you convinced me to come in, Merlin."

Merlin shot him a puppy dog look. "Sorry, Arthur."

The portrait's eyes suddenly widened. "Merlin? Arthur?" He looked back and forth between them, eyes as wide as plates. "_King Arthur and Merlin the legendary wizard?"_ He began to sputter, pointing randomly from Dumbledore, to Arthur, to Merlin. "Are these the guests you were talking about, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore nodded his head, a smile visible through his beard.

"Oh, here we go again." Arthur groaned, throwing his hand –and sword- into the air, "Why does everyone keep calling me _King _Arthur? And call Merlin a _legendary wizard?" _He said the last sentence with a faint look of disgust on his face. "Where are we? What do you want with us? Why can't you just bring us ba-"

Dumbledore held up a hand, asking Arthur to stop with his questions. "Yes, I understand you have many questions, but please sit down first, Arthur."

Arthur opened his mouth in protest, but something suddenly nudged him in his legs, and he fell back into a comfy armchair. He huffed, in attempt to save a shred of dignity, adjusting his shirt. "Well, now what, _Dumbledore?" _He asked with false politeness. "Why can't you bring Merlin and me back to Camelot?"

Dumbledore lifted his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "There are many things that must be explained first," he said after a slight pause. "I assume that you have both heard of a woman named Nimueh?"

Arthur growled at the name. "That _sorceress." _He said, "Yes, I know her. Is this another one of her tricks? I knew it! You're in league with her, aren't you? That's why you're keeping us here! Are you going to kill us?" Arthur's voice rose higher, and grew louder.

Dumbledore cut in, almost angrily, "No, I am _not _in league with her, but yes, this is another one of her 'tricks' as you call them. I received notice from the Ministry of Magic a few weeks ago, stating that there had been a magical rift in our world. It appears that Nimueh had managed her own form of time travel, and traveled over thousands of years to our time. She stole a Time Turner from the Ministry, killing _fifteen _Aurors to do so."

Dumbledore clenched his hands, anger on his face. "Nimueh shows no mercy for anyone, and she shows no regret for what she has done. Her attack has put a huge strain on the Ministry and the entire Wizarding world."

Dumbledore now turned to Harry, his look grave. "Nimueh has teamed up with Voldemort," he said, his voice low. Harry looked grim, but Malfoy still looked nonplussed.

"So what if she teamed up with him," he said, "How powerful can she be?"

"Nimueh is one of the most powerful sorcerers in history," Dumbledore continued, "She was a part of the Old Religion, which was only practiced by the most highly trained and adept wizards. She is old and wise; someone very powerful on your side, and deadly if your enemy."

"So, basically, we're screwed." Malfoy stated.

"No, we are not _'screwed' _entirely," Dumbledore said, a twinkle reappearing in his eye. He turned back to Arthur and Merlin. "This is where you two come in. Tell me, how did you two get here?"

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other, not sure who was to speak. After a few seconds, Merlin began to talk.

"Well, I don't know exactly what it was," he said, "but it looked like a miniature hourglass. It had a golden chain wrapped around it. Do you know what it was?" Merlin asked, hope shining in his eyes.

"Yes, I do. It is called a Time Turner; it allows a person who wears it to go forwards or backwards in time." Dumbledore replied. "Do you still have it?"

Merlin's smile fell. "No…No, I don't…" he mumbled. It was gone when got here."

Dumbledore's face was grave again, "Well, that puts a damper in our plans," he said.

Arthur sighed, "I honestly don't know why we are still here. Why can't you just bring us back to Camelot?"

"You two have come from a place that has long been gone. No one knows what year Camelot was built, or when you lived there, Arthur. If you still had the original Time Turner, we would be able to just turn it back how many times it was turned forward, but it is impossible now. Nimueh must have put a spell on it to make it disappear like that."

"Oh, great," Arthur said in a sarcastic tone. "So we're stuck here then?"

"For the time being, you are."Dumbledore replied, "Until I can find a way to send you back to Camelot, you will be staying here. But," Dumbledore leaned forward, "you are also needed for a much bigger reason. You two are the only ones who can help Harry defeat Voldemort, now that Nimueh has joined his side."

"But Nimueh is back in Camelot- well, at least in our time period," Merlin said.

"Yes, that is true," Dumbledore replied, "But she gave Voldemort gifts of power and knowledge that he could never refuse."

"But why would she give it to him in the first place?"

"That," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair, "is something that we all want to know. What I _do _know is that Nimueh made a mistake when she sent you here. I am positive she meant to send you to Voldemort's lair to have you killed, but she sent you here to Hogwarts instead. You two are _very _lucky. But for now, we must get you settled in here at Hogwarts."

"And how will you do that?" Arthur asked, arms crossed.

"With the help of Harry and Draco, of course," Dumbledore said, waving at the two boys, who groaned in response.

Dumbledore stood up, walking over to where an old hat laid on a stool. "And, with the help of the wonderful Sorting Hat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what house they'll be sorted into....


	6. The truth hurts.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Arthur," he whispered, hesitating as Arthur gave him a look full of grief, "There's something that I haven't told you. A-A-Arthur, remember when Morgause gave you that challenge, a-and she conjured that illusion of your mother?"  
> Arthur merely nodded his head stiffly.  
> "The thing is Arthur, everything you heard was all true. You were born of magic, Arthur."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, some people may think Arthur had a lame reaction to knowing that Merlin had magic, but his tantrum will happen in about the next chapter!  
> Oh, and after a lonnggg debate, I finally agreed on two houses for Arthur and Merlin. It's incredibly lame, because I wanted to them to be in the same house. Sorry!

"A Sorting Hat?" Arthur asked with a sneer, "I'm not putting that ratty thing on my head."

Merlin groaned, almost embarrassed at Arthur's behavior. "I'll go first," he said, standing up.

Dumbledore smiled, waving him over. Merlin walked to the stool he was gesturing at, and sat down cautiously. A second later, the hat was placed on his head, and Merlin started when he heard someone start to speak.

_Well, what do we have here? _Said the voice.

_Who is that? _Merlin asked in his head.

_Well, it is I, the Sorting Hat. I am here to sort you into the right House. There are four houses to choose from. We have Gryffindor, the house of bravery and chivalry. Then there is Hufflepuff, made of people who are loyal, patient and just. Ravenclaw is for those who are wise, and have a mind open to lots of knowledge. Then, there is Slytherin. This is the house of people cunning and sly, doing whatever it takes to achieve their goals. _The hat paused, as if in thought.

_You are a hard one to figure out, my young friend, _he mused, _I can see that your magic is very strong, and very different. I can tell that are very loyal to that boy over there, and that you hold a love for him so strong, you would die for him. _Merlin flushed, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable._ I can also tell that you have already saved his life countless times without his knowledge, and that you have learned lots of magic on your own. Now, what house to sort you into…._

Merlin held his breath as the Sorting Hat thought.

"Oh, will you hurry up already, Merlin," Arthur grumbled, crossing his arms yet again.

There was a sudden yell from the hat, making all in the room (except for Dumbledore) jump up in their seats. "Gryffindor!" It roared, settling back down on top of Merlin's head. Merlin got back to his feet shakily, mildly surprised. He thought he would be sorted into Hufflepuff, with all his love and loyalty and whatever else the Hat talked about. But Gryffindor? Merlin had never thought of himself as brave or noble. He snorted, motioning towards Arthur.

Arthur got up reluctantly, eyeing the hat suspiciously. Harry, Draco, and Merlin all looked at him as he sat on the stool, all thinking the same thought- Arthur was going to be sorted into Gryffindor. No doubt.

Arthur winced as the hat was placed upon his head, and almost jumped off the stool as the hat began to speak. _What in the bloody world? _He thought as the Hat talked to him. _Hats cannot talk! This is absurd! _He squirmed in his seat, but it was as if his arse had been stuck to it! He huffed, and listened as the Hat began to speak of the different houses. All the names sounded outrageous to Arthur, but he held his tongue.

The Sorting hat came to the end of its speech, and paused thoughtfully.

_Is everything here this slow?_ Arthur muttered in his head.

_Patience, young one, _the Sorting Hat chuckled, _you and your friend are very hard to figure out. You both have so many qualities about you that could put you in any house. Bravery, loyalty, love, smarts…._The hat paused again.

Arthur snorted at the hat's words, eliciting a jump from the three other boys in the room. _Merlin? Brave, Loyal, loving and smart? Those two things don't go together. _

_There is much you have yet to learn about your friend, Arthur Pendragon. You and Merlin have a great destiny together. _

_Yes, there is much I do not know about Merlin, _Arthur though bitterly.

The hat opened its brim to speak, "Gryffindor!" It roared. This time, everyone was ready for the yell, and no one jumped.

_Wait! _Arthur thought wildly, _How do you know my name? What do you mean we have a great destiny together? _

All he got in reply was a chuckle, before the hat was silent. It was taken off his head, and Arthur stalked back to his seat, crossing his arms. "Now what?" He asked grumpily.

"Now, " Dumbledore said, "you must choose a wand."

Arthur gave yet another snort, "Wands? Why would we need wands? Plus, it's not like I would need one, would I? I have no magic."

Dumbledore gave a sad smile, "But you do, Arthur." He paused, looking hesitant, "Do you know how your mother died, Arthur?"

Arthur stiffened, his hands going white as he gripped the sides of his chair. The atmosphere in the room changed drastically. "She died…gi-giv-giving birth to me," he whispered, "I killed her."

Merlin lowered his head, trying to hide the look of pain and guilt off his face. He knew the truth of how his mother had died, and the truth of Arthur's birth. It pained him to have to keep it a secret from Arthur, seeing as Arthur felt that he had killed his mother. Harry and Malfoy only looked at him with horror-stricken eyes, not knowing what to say. Harry felt like he could relate to Arthur; he knew how it felt to never have known your parents.

Dumbledore looked at him with grave eyes, full of understanding. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his desk. "Arthur," he said, "You _must _understand that it was not your fault that your mother died. She loved you with all her heart." He paused for a second, adjusting his spectacles, leaving room for Arthur to make a comment.

But Arthur said nothing and, instead glared at his hands. Dumbledore chose this time to look over at Merlin, giving him a knowing look. Merlin felt his breath catch, and he clenched his fists. He took deep breaths, trying to keep his heart beat at a healthy pace. He shifted in his seat, leaning towards Arthur.

"Arthur," he whispered, hesitating as Arthur gave him a look full of grief, "There's something that I haven't told you. A-A-Arthur, remember when Morgause gave you that challenge, a-and she conjured that illusion of your mother?"

Arthur merely nodded his head stiffly.

"The thing is Arthur, everything you heard was all true. You were born of magic, Arthur. Your mother was unable to have a child, and your father was desperate for-"

Arthur stood up, his face ablaze with fury, "Yeah, he was desperate for an heir. That was all he ever cared about. He never loved my mother. I can't believe you have been lying to me this whole time. Everyone has been lying to me!" He was yelling now, as he stepped in front of Merlin, "What other secrets have you been keeping me from Merlin? First, I find out you have magic. Then, I find out you have been lying to me about my mother's death. I told you Merlin! Magic is evil! It corrupts anyone who uses it! My father has been such a bloody hypocrite this whole time! He killed my mother with magic! He used magic! And now it's banned?" Arthur started pacing in the room again, hands almost shaking with fury.

Though neither Arthur nor Merlin could feel it, everyone else could feel Arthur's power vibrate in the room. The magic surrounding him nearly suffocated them, and it was with great difficulty that Dumbledore held up a hand to stop Arthur.

Merlin continued on, oblivious to what had happened. "Arthur, you have to listen. Uther did not know of the consequences to using magic for a birth. He was desperate for a child, but not just for an heir. Your father loved your mother so much Arthur. You have to understand," Merlin pleading, staring into Arthur's eyes. "Uther went and asked Nimueh for help to conceive a child. She agreed, but she never told your father or mother of the consequences."

Arthur finally stopped pacing, falling back down into his chair, not noticing the relieved looks on Harry, Draco, and Dumbledore's faces. He had a bad feeling about what exactly the consequence was, but he had to know, "What was the consequence?" He asked quietly.

"The Old Religion says that in order for a life to be created, a life must be taken," Merlin whispered, "Your father did not know that it would happen! Nimueh just conveniently left that part out. He was devastated when your mother died, you need to know. That was the reason that he banned magic from Camelot. He hated magic, and he hated Nimueh, for killing his wife. He couldn't stand to live with it, and he convinced himself that all magic had to be evil."

Silence engulfed the room, as all five inhabitants took in all the information. After a few minutes, Dumbledore spoke up. "Well, it is getting late," he said.

Harry looked up, startled. "What? How long have we been here? Oh I must have missed so many classes!" He jumped up from his seat, ready to leave the room.

Dumbledore stopped him with a smile. "Don't worry, Harry. Or you, Draco," he said, looking over at Malfoy. "I had Fawkes leave a messagefor all your teachers." He smiled fondly at the bird behind him, getting a soft coo in return.

Arthur stared at the bird, noticing it for the first time. It was a large bird, but it looked very graceful. Its feathers were a rich, bright crimson that had a slight glow to them. There was one long golden tail trailing below the perch the bird sat upon, that looked as if it was burning right before his eyes. The bird took Arthur's breath away, and he couldn't help but ask. "Can I touch him?" He breathed.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, feel free to." He said.

Arthur gave a joyous grin, and Merlin couldn't help but smile at the sight. He had _never _seen Arthur so happy and relaxed.

As Arthur stepped near him, Fawkes merely stared at him with wide eyes, cocking his head. He cooed when Arthur slowly ran his hand over his head, nudging his arm. Arthur let out a delighted laugh, looking fondly at the bird. "Amazing," he said.

"Well, hate to ruin the moment," Malfoy drawled, slowly getting up from his chair. He stretched his arms out, lifting them above his head, and at the same time giving Harry and wondrous glimpse of smooth, pale skin. Harry gulped at the sight, and Malfoy shot him a confused glance as he went on. "I've noticed that it is already supper time, and I am starving. May we please go?"

"Yes, you may," Dumbledore said, "I must be going too. But Harry, please show Arthur and Merlin to the Gryffindor area, will you? I think they will do pass off as seventh years, so they'll stay in your dorms. We'll get you your wands tomorrow morning," Dumbledore said, directing the last part at Arthur and Merlin, who nodded in return.

"Actually, one more thing," Dumbledore continued, "As you will be staying here for quite awhile, we will need to find new identities. It would be quite the shock for everyone to know that you are Arthur and Merlin. That is information that we cannot let escape."

"So… you want us to choose new names?" Arthur asked, looking uncomfortable.

"Yes. We will also need cover stories for the both of you. We'll say that you two have been learning at home, as your parents do not trust a school to teach everything you need to know." Dumbledore said.

Arthur pursed his lips. "Fine then. I will be Will Worthington," he said, giving Merlin a meaningful look.

Merlin gave a small smile at him, shocked at Arthur's choice. "I'll Be Emrys. Emrys Lemings," he said.

"Both of you have made great choices," Dumbledore mused. "Now, please enjoy your stay at Hogwarts. For tomorrow, you two will not be officially attending classes, but you will be taking private lessons from me instead. Say, around eight in the morning?"

The two boys nodded in agreement.

"Great!" Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together, "Please hide your bow and sword when you get to the dormitories, Arthur. We don't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

With one final nod, the three Gryffindors left Dumbledore's office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the disappointment with the House Sorting. For Merlin, I was thinking that he could really fit in any of the houses. I chose Gryffindor in the end because of all the times he has saved Arthur. And Arthur, obviously, I put in Gryffindor too, so...yeah. Don't kill me!


	7. Merlin gets a taste of royalty.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin also found the ceiling quite breathtaking, but what had his attention the most was the food. Oh, he could smell the scent of meat and vegetables drift over from all the tables, teasing and tempting him. His mouth watered as he eyed plate after plate of food, all the way down all the tables. How did they have so much food? Merlin licked his lips in anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the food descriptions are bad; I'm not much of an expert on food in England XD

Arthur followed behind Merlin and Harry in a daze. There was too much information in his head for one night, let alone his whole life! In just a matter of hours, he had found out that: Merlin was a wizard-destined to be the most legendary one-, he was going to grow up to be a respected king, there was a world made for _magic_, he had been borne of magic, and he wanted to go and kill Nimueh.

Now, that last thought was one that Arthur wanted completed right away. Of course, he knew it would be impossible, but it didn't hurt to think about it. He idly ran his finger along the sword hanging at his waist, thinking of exactly _what _he would do to Nimueh when he got the chance.

While Arthur was role playing a murder, Merlin was looking at his surroundings, amazed by the beauty of Hogwarts.

Along the walls of the hallways were many more paintings and all of them could move. And talk. Many stared at Merlin and Arthur, bewilderment in their eyes. There had never been new students at Hogwarts after the start of the year, especially ones as old as them. Some portraits muttered their disapproval at Arthur's weapons, though he was too lost in thoughts to notice.

Merlin came to a halt when a hand suddenly pushed into his chest. He looked up, startled, and right into Harry's face. The latter pointed in front of him, and Merlin's eyes widened in shock.

"Arthur!" Merlin hissed, poking him in the ribs.

Arthur jumped. "What in the bloody hell Merlin-"

He stopped when he saw what Merlin was pointing at, and he let out a long whistle. Before them was a jumble of staircases. They looked quite ordinary in a first glance, but if you looked for long enough, you could see the stairs move. As Arthur watched, the staircase that stood before suddenly disconnected from the platform, swiveling around to match up to another one.

Another staircase took its place before the three of them, and Harry motioned at them to get on. They did, but quite cautiously.

Merlin jumped when the staircase began to move, settling itself at another platform to the far left of where they had just been. All three Gryffindors marched up to the top of the stairs, stopping in front of the largest painting Merlin had laid his eyes on.

The painting was of what Merlin could only describe as a large woman, and it was the size of an oversized door. He gaped at the picture, and he could tell that Arthur was doing the same. The women in the painting had dark brown hair wrapped up in a bun, and she was wearing a frilly purple dress that flowed past her feet. She smiled when she saw the three of them, hastily putting down the cup of tea she had. It seemed to disappear mid-air, and Merlin heard a clink of a cup further down the hallway.

"Harry, dear!" The portrait stated in a happy manner, "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be in the Great Hall eating with your friends?"

Harry smiled at her. "I'm on my way to the Great Hall right after this. But first, I have to show Ar-Will and _Emrys _to the dormitories. They're new here," Harry explained, giving the Fat Lady another smile.

"Oh, how wonderful!" She gushed, "Welcome to Hogwarts, you two."

"Mimbulus mimbletonia," Harry said.

Giving one last smile, the Fat Lady swung open, revealing a small tunnel. Harry motioned for Arthur and Merlin to follow him, and they did after a moment of shock. It seemed that Hogwarts was a place full of surprises.

"Now, the words I just said, Mimbulus mimbletonia, is the Gryffindor password. You have to say it in order to get into the common room. No amount of begging or pleading will get you in," Harry said the last bit with a smile, "It helps make sure that people from other houses don't get in here. Now, the password changes about every week, so keep updated."

"Do you honestly expect me to be able to remember such a word," Arthur asked. "What is it? Mum-Mumbles Nimbleton? Mimbleton?" Arthur gave up after a few tries, exasperated.

Merlin smiled, amused by Arthur's weakness with big words. "Its Mimbulus mimbletonia, Arthur. Get it right."

Arthur shot him a dark glare before following Harry up the stairs to the seventh year dormitories.

"Ok," Harry said, as he opened the last door on the staircase, "This is the dorm for seventh years. There's maybe four other people in here that you really need to know. They're all good friends of mine, and people we can trust. I'll point them out to you when we get down to the Great Hall. But first, you guys need to change." Harry looked at their clothes pointedly, "You should be wearing robes while in school. I know, it sounds annoying, but it's the rules."

Harry looked around the room, and noticed an addition of two beds across the aisle from his. "Well, looks like Dumbledore has everything ready for you two. I'll just, uh, wait here while you guys change."

Neither of the two seemed to notice how uncomfortable Harry seemed, or they chose to ignore it. Instead they ran over to the beds-well, Merlin ran and Arthur strutted- and explored the area around them.

Merlin gave almost a squeal of delight. The bed was more than he could wish for. It was a plush, four-poster bed with covers so soft that tempted Merlin. He ran his hand lovingly over the top, happiness almost exploding from his chest. "This is amazing," he murmured, "I've never slept in a bed like this before! I feel like royalty!" He shot a smile of pure delight at Arthur.

Arthur's breath caught yet a second time seeing Merlin's smile. The idiot could make him forget everything with a flash of that beautiful smile. And he hated it. "It's not that amazing, Merlin," Arthur muttered. His bed back in Camelot was much fancier, but he had to admit that the bed was quite nice for a student of-at…Hogwarts. He didn't know how rich anyone at Hogwarts was.

Merlin snorted. "That's easy for you to say, _Prince Arthur Pendragon," _Merlin said, emphasizing his title, "You're royalty, Arthur. I'm just a servant. Gaius's bed was like heaven to me when I first arrived at Camelot. Remember? I used to sleep on the floor back in Ealdor."

Arthur rolled his eyes, though he was getting an odd, warm feeling in his chest. He remembered the time when he had gone with Merlin to Ealdor to save it from raiders. And he remembered it quite vividly. Especially the nights he spent with Merlin, talking about nothing important, feeling _normal._

There was that warm feeling again. Arthur shook his head, as if it would get rid of it. His eyes landed on a large trunk beside his bed. Curious, he walked over to it, opening it cautiously. He was met with the sight of the most revolting clothing he had seen. He gingerly took the robes out with the tips of his fingers, staring at them with horror in his eyes.

Merlin couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, clutching his sides. The look on Arthur's face had been _priceless_. The horror in his eyes!

Arthur shot a dirty glare at Merlin that stopped him mid laugh. "What in the bloody world could be funny, _Merlin? _Look at these clothes!" He shouted, shoving the robes in Merlin's face. "I'll look like a bloody girl! They look like a dress! And anyways, how many layers do you expect me to wear? And what is this?" Arthur asked, clutching a tie in his hand.

"That is called a tie," Harry said, stepping over. He couldn't help himself; Arthur and Merlin were too cute. They looked like little kids getting their first homework assignment.

"What does it do?" Arthur asked, eying it warily.

"It goes around your neck," Harry replied. "Put your robes on, and then I'll help you with it."

Arthur gave the tie another suspicious look before putting it down the bed. "Merlin," he said, motioning for him to come around and help him get dressed.

Harry stared at him. "Are you honestly having Merlin _dress _you?" He asked incredulously. "Don't you know how to put your own clothes on?"

Arthur flushed, turning away from Harry as he unbuttoned his shirt. "Merlin's my servant, and that's what servants are for." He stated, lifting his arms for Merlin to dress him.

"B-B-But-" Harry spluttered, "He's _Merlin! _The greatest wizard of all time! You can't make him _dress _you!"

"Well, he's not the Merlin you know yet. To me, he's my servant and nothing more," Arthur retorted. "Oh, hurry up Merlin!" He snapped when Merlin dropped his pants.

Merlin flushed, trying to keep the hurt off his face. He should have known; why did he have stupid fantasies where Arthur would tell him he loved him and always had, and then whisk him off to his bedroom? He was only a servant to Arthur, and nothing more. Arthur had just said so. He wasn't even his _friend. _The hurt was welling up in his body like poison now, and he could barely keep his hands from shaking. It was through sheer determination that he finished getting Arthur dressed, and got himself ready.

Arthur scowled as Harry did his tie for him, "….Just put this long end through the loop you just made, like this. And now it's done! See? Easy."

"Easy?" Arthur scoffed. "There were like fifteen steps to tying this stupid piece of cloth!" He pulled at the 'stupid piece of cloth', as it felt like it was choking him to death. And his robes were itchy. His shirt was itchy, and so were his pants. The material felt so cheap against his skin. And Arthur felt angry for no apparent reason, watching Harry help Merlin with his tie. They laughed together as Harry put the tie in the wrong way or something, and Arthur felt a wave of jealously crash over him. It bewildered him; why would he be jealous watching Merlin with another guy? Preposterous.

Since he could find no rational explanation for his behavior, Arthur's mind tucked his jealously somewhere in the back of his brain.

"Will you two hurry up already?" Arthur grumbled, "Aren't we supposed to be in the 'Great Hall' or something."

Harry, finished helping Merlin with his tie, stepped away from him. "Yes, yes. We should be at dinner right now. Let's go now," he said, heading out the dormitory door.

Arthur brushed past him, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like,"….hope the food is better than the clothes…" But that could have been Harry's imagination.

After a few minutes of walking through even more hallways, the three Gryffindors arrived at the Great Hall. If Merlin had thought the portraits, hallways, common room, and dormitories were breathtaking- well. The Great Hall certainly killed him. Even Arthur was in awe, drinking in the image.

The Great Hall was enormous, at least three times the size of the council chambers in Camelot. Four long tables stretched along the room, all meeting in front of what appeared to be where the adults sat. Their tables were raised high above the four tables full of students, most likely so the adults could keep an eye out for any trouble.

All the tables were crowded and full of laughter and conversation. Hundreds of candles floated mid-air above the tables, brightening the atmosphere of the Great Hall.

What intrigued Arthur the most was the ceiling. He hated to admit it, but it was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen. He knew there _was _a ceiling, but he could barely tell. It was as if the ceiling had been enchanted-_sorcery! _His brain screamed. _Bad!-_ to look like the night sky. Stars seemed to twinkle right above his head, and fluffy clouds slowly traveled around the sky. It was beautiful, and Arthur secretly wished they had something like that in Camelot. Not that his father would allow it.

Merlin also found the ceiling quite breathtaking, but what had his attention the most was the _food. _Oh, he could smell the scent of meat and vegetables drift over from all the tables, teasing and tempting him. His mouth watered as he eyed plate after plate of food, all the way down all the tables. How did they have so much food? Merlin licked his lips in anticipation.

Harry seemed to notice his hunger, and laughed quietly. "Well, it looks like someone's ready to eat," he said with a smile.

Merlin gave a smile back, a blush on his cheeks. "I've...I've never seen or touched such nice food," he mumbled, "except when serving Arthur. But this food is even more exquisite," he ended in a dreamy tone.

Harry gave Merlin a look of sympathy; he knew what it felt like to see something you wanted, but could never have. Living with the Dursleys had popped up with many situations like that. "Well then, let's go settle down and eat!" He said cheerfully, guiding Merlin towards the Gryffindor table.

Arthur snapped back to attention when he saw Harry guide Merlin to the right table with _his hand on his back. _There was that jealousy creeping through him again. Arthur gritted his teeth in anger. There were too many feelings, emotions and thoughts going in his head, and he couldn't handle any of them. He once again pushed the jealousy to the back of his head, and followed the two to their table.

Ron nearly spit out the huge chunk of steak and kidney pie he had just put in his mouth when he saw Harry arrive at the table. He hastily swallowed the pie, nearly choking himself in the process. "Oi! Harry! Where've you been, mate?" He asked as Harry sat down.

"I was with Dumbledore," Harry replied, motioning for Merlin and Arthur to take a seat beside him.

"Who these tchu?" Ron asked through another bite of pie.

Arthur wrinkled his nose at horrible lack of manners. "I am Will Worthington," he said with a drawl that could rival Malfoy's.

"I'm Emrys. Emrys Lemings." Merlin said shyly, giving Ron a small smile.

Ron stared at the two of them for a few seconds as he ate some more pie. He knew that he already didn't like the Will bloke, as he sounded just like Malfoy. And, Merlin, he acted just like Malfoy!

Ron stared as Will took a small piece of steak and kidney pie, carefully cutting it up before putting a small bite into his mouth, chewing slowly. He even _looked _like Malfoy. Ron snorted.

Arthur heard it, and set his fork down beside his plate. "What, may I ask, is possibly funny?" He asked with contempt.

Ron flushed. "Nothing," he mumbled. _Why is this git in Gryffindor? _He asked himself.

Arthur looked like he wanted to say something back to Ron, but Merlin stopped him. "Let it go, Ar-Will." He whispered.

Ron watched as Will immediately calmed down, sending a small smile at Emrys. The latter sent a beaming smile back at Will, and Ron watched with wide eyes when Arthur violently fumbled with his fork, sending a piece of pie flying into his lap.

Merlin, servant instincts kicking in, immediately took a napkin off the table and proceeded to wipe the food of Arthur's pants. It wasn't until he heard Ron snort yet again that he realized what he was doing looked quite…_awkward. _He hastily took his hands from Arthur's lap, giving a small cough.

Harry could tell Ron wanted to make a snide remark, so he changed the subject. "So Ron," he said with fake enthusiasm, "Where's Hermione?"

Ron immediately dropped his fork on his plate, crossing his arms. "Got into a fight with her," he said.

"About what?"

"Lavnnner," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Lavender! Hermione thinks I have a thing for Lavender because she caught us _snogging_. She always overreacts!" Ron shouted. "Uh, what's wrong mate?" He suddenly asked, seeing Harry pale.

Harry slowly pointed towards something behind Ron, and said person slowly turned around, dread pooling in his stomach.

He was met with the sight of a horrified looking Hermione. Her hair was even more of a mess than it normally was, and her eyes were red like she had been crying. She crossed her arms, her posture stiff.

"I was going to come over and apologize about my behavior, but apparently you aren't looking an apology," she said stiffly.

"No…Hermione that's not what I meant-" Ron started.

Hermione didn't give him a chance to finish, turning around with a huff. "I'll just go eat in the kitchen. At least I'll be appreciated by _someone._"

Ron shook his head, watching Hermione walk out of the. "Girls," he muttered, "I'll never understand them."

The plates of food suddenly disappeared, only to reappear laden with delicious desserts. Ron's mood brightened immediately, and he grabbed a handful of chocolate éclairs, dumping them on his plate eagerly. Arthur gave him another look of disdain, though he refrained from making any comment.

Merlin, sitting on the left side of Harry, could feel his jaw hit the table. "There's more food?" He asked weakly.

Harry laughed, "Yes, there is Mer-Emrys. Loads of desserts," he said with a wave of his arms.

Merlin groaned, clutching his stomach. He had already eaten three slices of steak and kidney pie, a piece of roast chicken, roast potatoes, and peas. He felt like his stomach was about to explode, and yet he saw himself reaching for…well, he didn't quite know what it was.

It looked like a piece of dough with currants in it, which was sitting in a plate of custard. His mouth watered at the sight, and he immediately dug in. Oh, and did it taste _amazing! _Merlin realized that it was not dough, but a thickened pudding mixture. He dipped it in the custard, savoring every taste. He let out a moan, not noticing when Arthur violently dropped a scoop of ice cream back onto his plate. He didn't notice the flush in his face either, or the way he adjusted his robes. He was too lost in the taste of the dessert.

"What is this stuff?" Merlin asked through his last mouthful.

Harry's mouth twitched, as if trying not to smile. "It's called spotted dick." He said primly.

Merlin sputtered, a laugh escaping from his lips. "Spotted dick? Haha! What a nice name for food." Merlin did not notice when Dumbledore stood up to address the school, or when everyone went quiet. "Hey, Hey, Art-Will. I just ate spotted dick!" He burst into laughter again, though he didn't quite know what was so funny.

He snapped out of his trance when someone elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow," he muttered, "What in the bloody hell was that-" He froze when he realized the whole school was looking at him with a incredulous expression on their face. Merlin flushed, looking back down at his lap.

Dumbledore chuckled at the sight. He knew that Merlin and Arthur had quite a lot to take in. Turning back to the students, he cleared his throat. "Good evening, everyone!" He boomed. Everyone instantly swiveled toward him. "I hope that once again you have enjoyed your meal." His statement was met with cheers from the students. "Please make sure to follow the new curfew, and be in your common room by nine o'clock." That statement was met with boos and sighs of resignation. "Other than that, I have nothing else to say. Have a good night!"

Everyone slowly got up from their seat, stretching. Hordes of people inched their way towards the door, including Arthur and Merlin. They had almost gotten to the door, when a voice held them back.

"Harry, Will, Emrys, and Ron. Please come back over here for a second."

The four boys slowly turned around, fearing that they were in trouble.

"Harry, I need to talk to you some more about _old history." _Dumbledore said carefully.

Harry immediately got the hint, looking at Arthur and Merlin.

"What do you need me for?" Ron grumbled.

"There' something that you should have a part in," Dumbledore replied. "Now, I've sent a message to Ms. Granger, so she will be joining us soon in my office." With that, Dumbledore walked out of the Great Hall, four boys cautiously following after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe...spotted dick XD  
> (not meant to be offensive)


End file.
